Sorry still catching up on emails etc but I want to say a big Congrats to the Yogis at Club Stretch Bikram Yoga in Dubai who took part in the 30 Day Challenge in May. You were awesome company and an inspiration for me in Dubai.
Completed:
Vinay Nasta
Lisa Joseph
Juliet Mather
Pooja Nasta 29 Days
Majella O’brien 28 days
11 others signed up but missed a few days here and there.
All in all a great effort, keep it up and remember the Global Challenge in June!!
I’ve moved to my third home in Dubai in 11 days and the first thing one must do is set out on foot, looking for the cheapest supermarket, quaint family run restaurant and cafe serving the finest coffee.
It must be the weathered, exhausted look on a travelers face when asking how long to the closest market/cafe/restaurant that a ‘local’ feels responsible to offer a moments gratification by saying “only ten minutes”.
I walk for perhaps an hour along a 2ft wide unfinished pavement, dodging speeding traffic, salivating at the promise of a cheap Arabic restaurant or cafe to rest my weary legs, chill and reflect on my day. Finally at the end of the yellow-brick (read sandy) road I chuckle at yet another polished high rise, lego land village and squinting towards the end of the courtyard I spy.. a Spinnies supermarket, Italian cuisine and wait for it… a starbucks!
I give up and purchase bread, crunchy peanut butter, baked beans and a half dozen eggs. I negotiate my own way home, between construction and skyscrapers trying to keep all 58 floors of my new home in view. My internal compass is usually on the money but with the rapidly disappearing Dirhams from my money clip the needle strength rivals that of my left knee trying to lock during Standing Head to Knee Pose and I wonder if I’ll get back before midnight.
Alas, in the last 50 meters I find a short cut through the construction site and as I leap over a 4ft wide x 6ft deep trench clutching my shopping bag, visions of laying at the bottom in a perfect egg encrusted Savasana flash before my wide eyes.
When you’re sharing an apartment with air crew, never try to gulp a quick mouthful of orange juice from the fridge.. they can be away for a very long time!
My first post in Dubai and I’m struggling for words, probably because Dubai is on the surface, quite western and I’m still getting over the kaleidoscopic richness of Mumbai. I’ve been on foot, bus and bike, cruised down Dubai Creek by night and sipped coffee overlooking a ski park in Emirates Mall but I’ve yet to tickle the underbelly and take lead in my Arabian Nights adventure.
Dubai city certainly makes an impression with its glittering skyscrapers, architectural delights and mammoth malls, all boasting to be “the best in the world”. To really blow you away check out a map of Dubai showing the Palm Trilogy and The World, a development of man made islands, in the shape of palm trees and the world no less, just off the coast. For now though I’ll quench my wanderlust desires exploring back streets, souks and other hidden gems before getting lost in the desert.
Finally after frothing quietly away for far too long I eventually got my salty fix, running across the wide “open” beach of Jumeira, ripping off my clothes to jump in the crystal clear and surprisingly cool waters of the Arabian Sea. Most of the beaches in Dubai are the private domain of hotels and private residence with only 2 open beaches available to the general public. Crazy! If they tried this in Australia there would be a riot as we all know Australian beaches are.. “the best in the world”
With 3 Bikram Yoga 30 Day Challenges completed (90 days continuous yoga), I find myself in another country starting all over again. Huzzah only 9 more challenges to go!
It’s bewildering to think I’m a quarter of the way through my journey already and yet I feel it’s all going too fast! 30 days may seem like enough, or even too much time in one city but I only just start to feel it’s pulse, then I’m off on the next adventure.
Looking back I wonder if I have achieved what I set out to do. Same answer for any month in our lives – yes and no. I wanted to produce more video but the time required to shoot, edit, compress and upload is immense, coupled with a slow internet connection and I’m sitting in front of my mac, wishing I was outside experiencing life.
Before leaving Australia I clearly prioritized my goals so one wouldn’t interfere with another. I never realised how important this was until my practice almost fell apart in India. I found it so tough I would end each class, my hands in namaskar thanking myself for just completing my #1 goal: “do the yoga, every day”. I can honestly say, I felt I had only 6 strong classes the whole month. Just getting through each class, practicing every posture without sitting down (or throwing up on myself) was.. well, I guess you’d could call it a challenge!
Thank you so much Rowena, Benn and Maddy (manager & teachers at Bikram Yoga Mumbai) for buying me Bikram’s new book “Bikram Yoga” – just what I needed for focus, inspiration and grounding for the next phase. Also thanks to Rich (teacher, Bikram Yoga Bangkok and Regional Manager True Fitness) for supporting my journey.
Around the globe in 9360 bends? 26 postures a day for 30 days in 12 different countries over 12 months - The journey starts Jan 09. Subscribe and follow the action!
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